Scarred
by Namaste243
Summary: The foursome stumble upon a lone female with a dark past that may very well dictate their future. Rating for language and future sexual content. KibaXOC
1. Finding

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wolf's Rain, nor its characters save for my own creation, and a few potential others that may appear later in the plot. This story does not include Cheza, but Blue will appear in later chapters. Comments and criticisms are more than welcome!**

**-**

_I don't want your pity. I don't want your softened looks and sympathetic faces. And I certainly don't want your help. Help is what destroyed my past and carved out this solitary future; this life that's like a grain of sand thrown to the ends of the Earth by the winds of time and fate. I do not mind any longer. It's what I've always known. It's not difficult. So long as you leave me be. I don't want any of you in my life. I am fine on my own. I'm telling you, I don't want any of you in my life. _

-

The wind is making it particularly difficult to see the snow-blown patch stretching ahead. Not that it matters entirely, the scent is what drives me forward through this particular mountain. I don't know what it is. In fact, that should be even more reason not to follow it. But, something inside of me is telling me to run, to find whatever is giving off the curious smell. Perhaps I choose to listen to this inner voice because I need a purpose other than the aimless wandering that has dictated my life until this point. Well, not entirely aimless. I have certainly become adept at making myself unknown, which is a necessary consequence of living a life in hiding. But this mountain has no unfriendly eyes. The trees and birds are familiar, from a time I traveled through them several years ago. Not much has changed, other than the slight hint of flowers, which is strange in a mountain trapped in perpetual winter. Is that what it is? Is the scent that of a strange new flower? I'll find out in time. It's faint, but it's getting stronger.

-

A white wolf raised his head to sniff the breeze coming from the northeast.

"What is it, Kiba?" asked Toboe.

"Someone is following us."

"A threat?" wondered Tsume.

"I'm not sure. We should keep moving, though."

"Hmph. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm starving," Hige complained.

"You're always hungry, Hige, but I wouldn't mind some food either," replied Toboe.

"Well, unless either of you plan on offering yourselves for dinner, I haven't seen any means of acquiring food since we've come to this god forsaken mountain," snapped Tsume.

"No need to get angry, Tsume, no one's eaten in a while. Maybe if we explore we can find something," offered Toboe.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Why not, Kiba?"

"Until we know what's following us, it would be better if the pack stays together."

Just then, three gunshots cut through the winds.

"What was that?" asked Hige.

Kiba's yellow eyes searched for something through the snow. "I don't know, but there's blood on the air."

-

Alright, the searing pain in my back leg is seriously starting to get annoying. It was aggravating enough to be caught off guard by these humans, but to actually let them score a wound is too much. The scent of the flower (_yes, I've decided, it must be a flower_) had suddenly gotten much stronger, but at the same time I caught wind of four other wolves not far ahead. I was too busy trying to figure out how to get around them without detection before I realized the humans had surrounded me. _Idiot._ I avoided the first bullet, but a second and third both found themselves in the flesh of my back leg, and now the wound is bleeding freely.

"Yes, we landed two on it!" one man called.

"Try not to damage too much of the pelt, we want as much of it intact to sell," called another.

"Just let it bleed out, it can't take too much blood loss."

"I don't know, this one's unusually big –" The man speaking was suddenly screaming, before the rest of his throat was crushed by a grey wolf with a scar splayed across his chest.

Three other wolves quickly jumped into the small clearing, attacking at random the humans in the trees. A small yelp caught my attention when one of the wolves, a pup, caught his paw in one of the traps the hunters must have set earlier on. One of the few humans left standing smirked as he brought a gun to the pup's face. _Damn it. Why did it have to be a pup?_

Toboe whined before he found himself underneath the wolf whose blood had drawn the pack in the direction opposite of the flower's scent. Toboe was surprised enough to find the wolf was female. However, he was even more surprised to see her jump in front of a loaded gun that should have put a bullet into his head, but instead found itself in the female's left shoulder. After turning from one downed human, Kiba watched the strange wolf take a bullet from the human's gun while protecting Toboe. He ran and jumped at the man's exposed neck before he could fire again, and afterwards the only living things left in the clearing were wolves. The female staggered slightly, before leaning down to release Toboe's paw from the trap. It was only afterwards that she collapsed.

-

"Did you see what she did? Did you see her stand in front of the gun like that?" Toboe had been relatively silent until this point, watching the three older wolves decide what to do. "We can't just leave her like this to die!"

"I don't know who she is or why she's traveling alone, but the runt's got a point. We can't let her bleed out after she saved Toboe," agreed Hige.

Kiba and Tsume exchanged looks. One more exasperated while the other stoic, the two eventually nodded and leaned down to support the unconscious female between them.

The five wolves stopped at a river not far from the clearing, where Toboe immediately began cleaning her wounds while Tsume and Hige searched for herb plants to slow the bleeding.

"She's lost a lot of blood," Toboe worried.

"She'll be fine, as long as the bleeding stops," Kiba said.

Toboe still looked slightly dejected, but continued to administer to her wounds. Kiba watched on. The wolf was a curiosity indeed. Her coloring was the deepest black he had ever seen on a wolf, quite the opposite of his snow white fur. And, as Toboe was slowly cleaning her wounds, Kiba could tell that her fur was tinged with copper. Even with the wounds, Kiba could tell she was quite attractive. He couldn't help but wonder what she looked like in human form. At that moment, Tsume and Hige arrived with the herbs, and Toboe finished cleaning the wounds.

"You won't believe this guys, but take a look at this," Toboe said, as Tsume and Hige approached. "There are scars all over her."

Taking a closer look, the males found scars crisscrossing the entirety of the female wolf's back, scars that obviously were reopened many times to have left such an impression on flesh. From afar, the wolf's fur covered the old wounds, but looking closely under the thick fur, it was hard to miss.

"Wow. Kiba, have you seen this?" Hige asked, as he reached out to run a finger down one particularly nasty scar. It was this movement that elicited a growl from the now conscious black wolf.

"Don't you _ever_ touch me again." I tried to stand, but the combination of three gunshot wounds and some drowsy property of the herbs now on me prevented me from doing so. _Fuck._ The three males quickly backed up as I bared my teeth in warning.

"We're only trying to help!" said the frightened pup.

"I don't need your help," I growled back.

"Well you're not in the best predicament to deny our help," Kiba stated, "and you did save the pup."

"The pup was in danger. I did what I had to. Nothing more."

"But you could have died, and I don't even know you!"said Toboe.

I stopped listening. Standing was harder than I imagined, and the labored process reopened on of the wounds.

"Please don't move, you can't travel now!" the pup whined. _Why, why do pups always have to whine?_

"I've had worse. Now move out of my way." _I have to get out of here, now._

"We can't let you do that," the grey wolf said. I eyed him closely. "As much as I would have liked to leave you where you were back in that clearing, if you start wandering now there would be a clear trail of blood straight back to us for anything to find. I'm not so concerned about your idiot notions to move, but rather the preservation of our resting place." For all his rudeness, I can't help but simultaneously admire the grey wolf's logic that I also hated for keeping me with this pack much longer than I wanted to. The white wolf nodded.

"Whatever it is that is keeping you from staying, it won't be so important if you're dead. You can rest one night." I couldn't help but growl one more time before lying back down. As much as I hated it, they had a point. Fine. One night.


	2. Naming

_It was that dream again. Every night the shadows creep into my mind and torture me with these dark images. First t__he flames, licking my fur. Then a dark, damp room with a chill that cuts through to my very core. And that screaming. Always the screaming…_

-

Kiba awoke later in the night and looked over his sleeping pack mates. Tsume was slumbering a short distance away, and Toboe was snuggled as close as he dared to Tsume's back. Hige was curled close to the embers of the fire they built after the strange wolf finally gave in to staying the night.

Surveying the small forest area the wolves occupied, Kiba's golden eyes eventually found the she-wolf huddled as far as possible from the pack. _We don't even know her name_, thought Kiba. Taking a closer look, he saw her lips curled back in a snarl while she dreamt. He also noticed she had begun to shiver. Kiba stood up and started to quietly walk over. He didn't want to awaken a wolf in the middle of a dream that may change imagined anger into very real jaws around his throat if startled. Just then Tsume woke and raised his head to watch Kiba pad across their small resting place. He raised an eyebrow, as best as his wolf form could allow at least, eyeing Kiba.

"She's lost too much blood to risk her dying of exposure," Kiba said softly.

Still watching, Tsume rested his head back down on his paws. In Tsume's personal opinion, the female's health was not something to be so concerned about. Tsume looked back at Toboe who in his sleep had snuggled even closer to his back. _Though she did save the runt._

Reaching the other end of the clearing, Kiba very gingerly wrapped his white form around the black and copper wolf, careful not to shift her or brush against her wounds. Her shivering continued for a minute but then slowed as Kiba's body heat calmed her chills. Resting his head against his paws, Kiba closed his eyes and slept.

-

_Suddenly, the dark was beaten back a warm, pulsating, white light. What is this? The warmth has spread and banished the shadows that have been there for a longer time than I care to remember. Whatever it is, I'm not going to question it tonight. _

Involuntarily relaxing tensed muscles, the wolf fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

-

Sunlight filtering through the leafy canopy and the gurgling of the nearby stream brought the dark wolf out of her first legitimate rest in many weeks. Looking around still somewhat groggily, she saw that none of the wolves from the previous night were present, but their scent was still somewhat fresh, so they hadn't left too long ago. Perhaps a couple of hours. Suddenly, she became aware of another body pressed against her own. Turning her head around, she found the snow white pack leader curled around her back. She immediately recalled the warm light that calmed her in the throws of her nightmare. She looked down at him, debating whether to threaten him for touching her like this, or waiting for him to wake on his own. As it turns out, she didn't have a choice, because just then Kiba shifted as he awoke from his own dreams that had revolved curiously around a wolf with black fur. Kiba was somewhat startled to meet the mirror image of his own golden eyes staring intently at him.

"Good morning," he said.

The two sat, still curled around each other, staring at their respective opposite for several minutes in silence. The eyes of the she-wolf offered feelings of confusion and some threat, while Kiba countered with patient curiosity and contentment. Kiba was the first of the two to break the stare and stand up to stretch. He straightened to see the black female doing something similar, though she was more likely testing the range of her wounded leg, which had healed significantly over the night.

"How does it feel?" Kiba asked.

"Better. I should get going, though. But…thank you. Not many have helped me."

"Why do you have to go so quickly? You still have to heal, and the pack would not mind another member."

_Another member_? _What is he talking about?_ "I travel alone. I always have. Trust me, you don't want me troubling your family. I've always managed well enough."

"You wouldn't have managed at all if you were alone last night."

This silenced the she-wolf. She knew her lack of attention would have cost her life if the white wolf's pack hadn't intervened. As much as she hated to admit it, she owed her life to them and their care afterwards.

"What's your name?"

This caught her off guard. _No one has asked for my name in at least a year_.

"It's..Hikari."

Just then, the rest of the pack joined Kiba and Hikari in the clearing. Toboe bounded towards the she-wolf, who backed up threatened and snarled slightly.

"Calm down for god sakes, he's just a pup," Tsume admonished.

Toboe, who was now sitting on his haunches somewhat dejectedly said, "Your leg looks a lot better. How are you feeling?"

The black wolf sat back down. "Sorry… And, yes, it feels better."

Toboe immediately perked back up and called, "See, I told you, Hige! I told you she'd get better!"

Hige, who sat somewhat behind Toboe nodded and asked, "So will you be joining us then, or are you still so determined to leave?"

Hikari was taken aback. _Why are they so willing to accept me? The large wolf wasn't even there when the leader suggested it first, and now he asks as if my joining is obvious. I don't understand._ Before she could even think of replying, Toboe said happily, "Oh yes please come with us! You can help us find Paradise!"

_Paradise. Why does that ring with such familiarity?_

"The lunar flower scent is what guides us, and it's been getting stronger more recently," Kiba added.

_The flower?_ Another surprise. _I don't know how many more surprises I can take. _She turned to look at the white wolf. "I've been following the flower scent too. I didn't know why though."

"It's Paradise calling to you."

Hikari looked through the trees as she thought. _Joining them goes against all that I promised myself so long ago. But, they're following the flower. And this Paradise. Is it worth risking it all again?_

Kiba saw her thinking deeply as she stared into the distance. There was something about this wolf. She was not used to having the company of her own kind, and her past that was not filled with the light her name suggests. That much he could tell. But, there was something…important about her. Something that told Kiba she needed to come with them.

"Hikari. Come with us."

The sound of her name brought her back from her thoughts to look at the four wolves that would soon be her pack-mates. Hesitantly, she answered,

"Alright."

Toboe yipped his excitement. "Yay! And your name is Hikari? Can I call you Ri?"

Tsume looked less than enthused, while Hige smirked while thinking it was about time there were some more females in the pack_._ Kiba smiled while he looked into the other pair of gold eyes returning his gaze.

Hikari gave an inward sigh. _I'm going to regret this._


	3. Revealing

Snow had begun to fall again as the five wolves left the forest and entered the gentle slope of a valley. The group was lead by Kiba and Tsume, while Toboe and Hige lagged slightly behind. Hikari, or Ri, as Toboe had as excitably nicknamed her, ran even further behind the group, though not due to hunger or tiredness as was the case of Hige or Toboe. Her leg and shoulder no longer pained her, but the sudden company of four other wolves left her unsure, to the point that she attempted to keep as much distance between the pack and herself as possible without slowing them down. They had been traveling for a significant portion of the day at a reasonable place though, and as dusk approached the pack began to look for shelter and food before dark. Looking back, Kiba saw Ri snuffing the wind coming from the North. She had a contemplative look on her face, as if the wind carried some intriguing news. Tsume came up behind Kiba watching Ri.

"That female has been holding us back all day," he said with a huff.

"You know that's not true. She's kept with the pace. If anything we've moved faster. With her behind Hige and Toboe, she kept them from lagging behind any further than they normally do," Kiba replied.

Tsume looked no less irritated, and turned back to help Hige and Toboe find a cave along the valley's slopes. Kiba strode over to Ri, still enraptured with the wind. He startled her from whatever scent had so captured her attention.

"I didn't mean to frighten you. What do you smell?"

"I'm not sure, but it doesn't matter. There's a deer half of a mile beyond this hill, though, and it's wounded."

Kiba turned his nose to the wind and caught the familiar and welcoming scent of an easy dinner.

"Come on."

Ri looked at him hesitantly, but followed close behind as the two broke into an easy run. The deer was not hard to bring down, and Kiba called out the kill to the rest of the pack. Ri stepped back when she saw the three other males approach, and waited until they had had their fill. She had very quickly accepted her low status. Even if she had scented the food, pack hierarchy dictated she eat last. Toboe looked back guiltily at her, but this was the first opportunity he had to eat other than last. Ri saw his stare, and despite her hunger she nodded to Toboe to continue eating. _Though he may have gotten me involved with this lot, I can't help but have some affection for the pup. _

Ri ate what was left of the deer, which was disappointingly little, and walked back to the hollow that rest of the pack had found. It wasn't quite a cave, but an overhang of rocks protected the valley wall against the elements. Here the pack had already fallen asleep, or at least it appeared so. Ri looked at the four males, and then turned and walked a short distance back into the valley. She stopped and turned her nose to the air, searching again for the scent she came across earlier in the evening.

_Here it is. And it's … changed. _This time, however, Ri was aware of Kiba as he walked up behind her.

"I thought you were asleep."

"Is it the same scent?" Kiba asked. Ri thought before answering.

"Yes. It's the flower. But there's something different. It's almost as if something is muddling or tainting the scent."

Kiba looked at her somewhat puzzled before turning his own nose to the North wind. Yes, there was the flower, that smell that has been guiding him for so long now. Nothing seemed different. _Wait. What's this?_ Yes, there was the scent, but something changed. _She's right. It's as if something had wrapped itself around the smell, almost tainting the flower. But it's incredibly subtle. I don't know if I would have noticed it myself._ Kiba looked at Ri with a new curiosity. Ri noticed his stare however, and turned away uncomfortably.

"I should get some sleep." Still averting her gaze, she stood to leave. Kiba let her walk back towards the hollow, reflecting on the concerning new smell and his ever-growing curiosity about their new pack member.

The next morning, the wolves awoke to the sound of a distant train whistle.

"There must be a town right outside of this valley," Hige said. "And you know what that means! Food!"

"Hey Porky, you just ate last night," Tsume called over his shoulder.

"But we don't know when our next meal is going to be! We should eat when we can in case we have to go awhile without food…" Hige looked into the distance, imagining another meal. _Besides, _Hige thought, _ if we're lucky, we might even come across Blue..._

Tsume gave an exasperated look to Kiba, who considered whether to skirt around the town or, as Hige suggested, find another meal while they could.

"Let's at least get the town in view," Kiba decided, "before we try anything."

The pack nodded and started off at a run in the direction of the whistle. Ri held back, though. _This is not going to go well._

-

After looking at the relatively small town, the wolves decided to see what food they could find. Behind a small hill out of the way of any onlookers, the males shifted into their human forms. As they were about to walk into town, Toboe looked around confusedly.

"Wait! Where's Ri?" The other three looked around before Ri stepped out, still in her wolf form, and sat down in front of them.

"I'm not going. I'll meet you on the other side of town, and while you search for food I'll hunt more." She looked determined.

"Why, are you scared of a few humans?" Tsume asked with a smirk.

Ri sent a glare to Tsume that gave him small shivers down his spine.

"I'm not following."

"Ri, in order to get out of this town quickly, we need as many wolves as possible to find food," Kiba said. "Nothing will happen here, anyway. This town is in the middle of a secluded valley. The noble's troops reach hasn't extended this far yet," Kiba reasoned.

"The last time I was in contact with humans, I swore it to be my last. That's all I'll say on that, but don't ask me to break my oath."

The four males looked at each other and very briefly glanced at the scars they knew to stretch across Ri's back, though they weren't visible from the few paces of distance between them. Ri noticed the looks, and a soft growl entered her throat. _I knew this was a mistake._ She turned and started to walk in the direction they came, when Toboe suddenly called out,

"Ri! Come back! Whatever happened to ya, we'll make sure it won't happen again! You can trust us, Ri! Please come with us."

This stopped the she-wolf's progress away from the pack. They noticed her shoulders visibly droop before she turned around, but she surprised the males with their first encounter of her human form. Kiba had imagined what Hikari may look like in her human from, but nothing compared to the woman now standing in front of them. Ri was taller than the average woman, standing at least five feet, ten inches. She wore knee-high black boots and tight dark blue jeans that showed off very muscular thighs. Her hourglass figure was accentuated by a small black tank top, over which she wore a brown leather jacket. Her dark brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, with bangs cutting diagonally across her face, and a small silver hoop punctured the top of her right ear. Her piercing green eyes looked at the four males now gaping at her, some with more lust than she appreciated.

"Fine. Let's get this over with," she said, and walked by the pack and towards the town.


	4. Captured

The town was even more desolate than its size suggested. Half of the buildings looked to be in a strong state of disrepair, and the streets were lined with garbage and dust. The streetlights gave off a faint, dismal glow that added even more to the melancholic mood that pervaded the air. The streets at the time were inhabited by three persons other than the five newcomers, and all looked haggard and untrusting.

The pack started walking the town together, before breaking off into respective pairs. Tsume, upon request, started down an alley by himself. Meanwhile Hige and Kiba searched for food and Hikari and Toboe explored what could be considered the town's main street for anything of interest.

"I wonder why it's so quiet here. And why does everyone keep from looking at us?" Toboe asked.

"I'm not sure. Just keep to yourself and keep walking," Ri replied. She didn't like the feeling of this place. There were too few people, and too many dark corners. _I knew this was a bad idea._

An hour later, nothing of use or any interest could be found.

"We should go find the others," Toboe suggested, after the two rounded the same corner they had passed maybe half an hour ago. "We've gone around these blocks twice now and nothing's changed."

Hikari agreed, incredibly glad to begin putting the town and its malevolent feelings behind her. Suddenly, a hand came down on her shoulder and whipped her around, and she heard Toboe yelp in pained surprise.

"Toboe!"

-

Hige and Kiba were also having little luck in finding food.

"It's like a ghost town here," Hige said at almost a whisper, as if he would get in trouble for speaking at a normal volume. Kiba nodded while he surveyed the surrounding buildings. An hour later, still nothing had changed – the lack of food, or the eerie feeling that neither wolf could shake off his shoulders.

"We should move on. If we were going to find or hear anything useful, we would have by now," Kiba said to Hige. Hige nodded his agreement, for once not voicing a complaint about food. There was more than just the town that concerned Hige, though, and made him want to leave it behind. Ever since the previous day Kiba seemes more troubled and quiet than usual. Hige hoped that after they left the town behind, Kiba would either lighten up or tell Hige what was on his mind. The two started to head towards the end of town opposite from where they entered. Suddenly, a shadow moved across the dark alley next to the pair of wolves. Hige jumped back, while Kiba turned to face the alley in a crouch, a soft growl emanating from his throat. But, instead of the attack they were expecting, they were met by a soft chuckle.

"You should have seen your faces," Tsume smirked, as he walked out from the shadows.

"God damnit, Tsume! Stop screwing around!" Hige rebuked. This only made Tsume chuckle more.

"Oh calm down, and stop making so much noise." Hige gave an exasperated look to Kiba, who returned it with a nod for quiet. Hige sighed, but glared at Tsume, whose nonchalance was irking him.

"Did you at least find any food in those dark corners of yours?" Hige asked.

"None. And I think it's time to move. I passed a pub a while back, the only place that seems to have any hint of life in this town, and I heard talk of soldiers coming through every evening for search. Apparently, that's also where the majority of the food goes - to rations for the soldiers who have no problem forcing the citizens to provide them, lest they be threatened with arrest. Or worse."

"I knew I didn't like this town. And we should get out of here before we come across a battalion. Then we'd really be in a mess," Hige said with a shudder.

As Kiba and Tsume nodded their agreement, just as a yelp reached their ears.

"That sounded like Toboe," said Kiba. The three shared worried looks before breaking into a run in the direction of their pack mates.

-

Hikari snarled as she tried to shake off the strong pair of arms that had now pinned her own to her side. She caught Toboe fighting off another from the corner of her eye, a soldier from what it looked like, and watched him bring a club down on to Toboe's head. Toboe yelped again before slumping in the soldier's arms.

"What do you want?" Hikari growled, struggling with renewed energy before stiffening suddenly as a gun came up to her temple.

"I could ask you something similar, my dear," the soldier behind her said gently. "You are obviously not familiar here, for if you were the common traveler you would know that this town has nothing to offer in terms of food or supplies. This town does not belong to its citizens. So why stop?"

"Who does it belong to then?" Hikari snapped as she struggled again against the soldier's grip. However, the gun was pushed furthered into her temple, and her shoulder's stretched painfully as the soldier readjusted his grip.

"Such a feisty thing you are," he replied, almost with amusement. "But you're in no place to ask questions. In fact, all you need to do is answer some of ours, and we'll have as little trouble as possible."

Hikari struggled more, but she had become very wary of the gun pressed to her head. She struggled less, before standing still. _No use getting away and getting killed in the process._

"That's a good girl. Now, if you would follow me please?" The soldier came around from behind her, but still kept the gun close to Hikari's face. Just as his voice suggested, his blue eyes danced amusedly at his detainee before he turned to lead her across the street. The two walked behind the soldier now carrying Toboe into a dark alley at which an iron door could be seen at the end. Hikari faltered at the sight of the door, but continued to follow at the soldier's persistence.

Kiba, Hige, and Tsume ran into the street in just enough time to see their two pack members being led through a dark opening, and an iron door closing behind them. As they came to the end of the alley Kiba threw himself against the door, but it made no protest against the attack. He prepared to throw himself against it again before Tsume caught his shoulder.

"It's no use hurting yourself. We'll have to find another way in," Tsume said.

Kiba glared at Tsume, and then over his shoulder to glimpse a young boy, not much younger than Toboe, hurrying across the street. Kiba ran out and intercepted him. The boy started backwards and tried to run, but collided face first into Tsume's chest, which knocked him backwards on to the street.

"Wha..what do you want?" the boy stuttered.

"Tell us what you know about the soldiers, and that door," said Kiba, pointing back towards the alley they had just come from. The boy's eyes followed the outstretched finger, and shook his head violently when he realized what Kiba pointed at.

"No one ever goes near there," he said, shaking slightly from the shock of three large males standing over him, and from the idea that someone didn't know about that door. "It's where the soldiers threaten to bring us if we don't give them food or obey the curfew. Sometimes they do take someone there, and they disappear for a long time. Whenever they come out they don't talk and usually they leave town. Please, don't hurt me! I have to get home before the curfew and the soldiers catch me!" The boy continued to shake as Tsume brought him to his feet, and he tried to avoid Tsume's eyes.

"Is there any way of getting into where the door leads?" Tsume asked gruffly, still holding the front of the boy's tattered jacket, and forcing him to look into his face.

"I don't know! You could try the roof, but everyone says the door leads underground. Don't go in there, though! Sometimes we hear noises come from the door, and they aren't nice!"

Tsume looked at Kiba, who nodded for him to let the boy go.

"He won't give us any more information," Kiba said softly. Tsume let go of the boy's jacket.

"Thanks, kid. Now get lost."

The boy nodded with wide eyes before turning and running quickly down the street. Looking after the boy, Tsume shook his head.

"I'm really starting to dislike this place."

"You didn't already? I knew this was a bad place from the start," Hige countered.

Then, looking around to make sure there were no eyes watching, the three wolves jumped to the roof of the nearest building, and then to the roof above the iron door. There was nothing unusual, save for a large protruding vent.

"Looks like this is our way in," Kiba said, as he ripped the bars from the supporting metal structure.

"Let's go."

-

_Darkness. The cold metal of the gun against my skin. Toboe's distant whimpers a few steps ahead of me This is all too familiar. Please, please not again…_

Hikari could tell they were walking through a concrete hallway, the walls of which she discovered were slimy and wet when she touched them to support herself from tripping. They had been walking for several minutes now through various curves and turns. She could tell by the change of sound in their echoing footsteps that there were many recesses in the wall, probably different doorways. _It's like a labyrinth in here. Even if we do escape, we could spend days just wandering in circles if we don't know where we're going. _Finally there came a doorway at the end of the hall that was lit, which she entered with her accompanying soldier, and the soldier still carrying Toboe. She blinked rapidly against the sudden light, and when her vision cleared she beheld some sort of interrogation room. No windows, and no furniture, save a desk and a chair.

"If you would so kind as to wait a few moments, we'll be right with you," the smiling soldier said. The calm cordiality of her captor angered Hikari, and she made it known by spitting in his face as he turned to leave. But if anything, the action only made the soldier smile more.

"Oh, we're going to get along splendidly," he said with a smirk, before closing the door behind him and his companion. The door's lock clicked into place a moment later.

"Ri?" Toboe mumbled, as he sat up from the floor where his soldier had placed him, rubbing his head. "Where are we?"

"I don't know, but we've leaving now," Hikari answered. And with that, she backed up, and threw herself against the door.

-

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	5. Introduced

_Crash. _ Inhale. Charge. _Crash. _

"Ri!"

Inhale. Charge. _Crash. _

"Hikari! There's no use! We'll figure something else out."

Hikari leaned over and grasped her knees, catching her breath and wincing as her bruised ribs stretched in protest. Standing, she glared at the locked door in front of her that refused to budge despite the force of her weight. She started a meticulous search of the room, running her fingers along the walls while looking and feeling for any hint of a hidden door or window. Unfortunately the room was small enough and gave no hint of escape that Hikari was done quickly. Instead she turned to Toboe, checking for any serious wounds. He started to giggle as she began to lick the small but open wound on his head where the soldier had knocked him unconscious.

"That tickles Ri! Please stop I'm fine I promise!" He admonished. Just to prove himself he jumped up and started searching the room as Hikari had, despite the fact that he had to stand in place a moment to stop swaying from dizziness.

"Don't tire yourself now, Toboe. You'll need your energy for later. It looks like we're here until someone opens that door, so for now just sit down."

Toboe looked back, and then nodded in acquiescence. He sat on the one chair available aside from the table, upon which Hikari decided to settle herself.

"Ri, I'm scared."

"I know, Toboe. But we'll get out of this, don't worry."

Just then, the hinges of the large door screeched in protest as two men quickly entered and promptly shut behind them. They were met by the glare of two pairs of intent and fiery eyes.

"Good evening," the first man greeted. As he took two steps closer, Hikari emitted a low growl, but this did not deter the man from approaching. He was now about two yards from Hikari sitting on the table, and strangely comfortable despite his proximity to the potentially dangerous woman. Toboe remained seated on the chair as well, but was less confrontational with the man. He was relatively young, dressed in a crisp suit that barely hinted of previous use. His black hair was somewhat long, swept across bright blue eyes. One gold hoop hung from his right ear, and he stood with confidence and self-assurance. He would be incredibly attractive under other circumstances. However, despite his appearance the young man emitted an atmosphere so repulsive and unnatural that Toboe began to inch slowly behind Hikari's body. At first he couldn't quite figure out why the man's presence shook him so deeply, but suddenly he understood.

_His scent. He smells like poison. Like dried blood that's been corrupted by poison. _

But what was even more distressing, was intertwined with the disgusting scent was lunar flowers. Hikari recognized the smell immediately. It was the same scent she had discovered several nights ago, only now the smell overwhelmed her senses and clouded any hope of tasting fresh air again. Though, despite the corruption of the flower, she remained as still as she had when he first entered. Toboe, on the other hand, had now managed to place himself almost entirely behind Hikari's still form, shaking slightly with disgust and fear at the man standing before them. Though it was more subtle than most could manage, the man noticed Toboe's reaction, and took immediate pleasure.

"It seems that I have quite the effect on your young friend, here," he said with eyes looked on Hikari's.

"Please, let me introduce myself. My name is Katashi. My associate here is Yuuma. I believe you have already met." Katashi swept his hand behind him as the second man stepped forward, and Hikari recognized the smirking blond soldier who had detained her.

"Now that we have been kind enough to share our names, would you give us the similar pleasure?" Hikari continued to stare into Katashi's eyes, silent.

"No? That's a shame. Yuuma?" Hikari anticipated the first blow that was coming and shifted her weight enough to the left to avoid Katsuo's punch, but her cross-legged position on top of the table did not give her enough maneuvering ability to deflect the punch that quickly followed the first. She was also unfortunate enough not to notice the ruby ring as it cut across her left eye with Yuuma's punch. The blow made her topple slightly, but Hikari slowly collected herself before standing, still facing Katashi with blood running down the side of her face. Toboe whimpered at the strike, but hardened and stood next to Hikari as she collected herself.

"What about you, child? Care to tell us your name?" Toboe looked at Hikari who broke her stare with Katashi to look at Toboe, offering him the decision after he saw what one choice would result in. Toboe chose to lock gazes with Yuuma with the same silent stare as Hikari. Katashi looked somewhat surprised.

"Interesting. You two seem to be quite determined about not helping me. You don't understand. I am a business man. In order to further my endeavors, I need to acquire certain things. Right now, what I need is answers so that I may assess a potential threat to my business. Surely you can understand that. And, there are two ways by which I can get my answers. Obviously you can already divine where one of those two paths lead. The other is cooperation, which involves significantly less pain on your part, and a much higher probability that you will have the opportunity to leave once we discuss a few things. I think I am being quite reasonable. And I really don't have much of a preference as to which path you take, because you will give me what I want, though the cooperative path would be faster. Then again, Yuuma will complain to me later about how he didn't get to play."

Throughout this small discourse, Hikari remained impassive and maintained her gaze on Katashi. At this moment her gaze switched to Yuuma, who stood with arms crosses just to the right of Katashi, and grinning even more wickedly than he had when left the room the perhaps ten minutes before. Her silence after Katashi's speech seemed to anger him now.

"Fine. You've obviously made your choice. I hope you don't mind Yuuma, because you're going to be seeing a lot of him within the next few days. Take care, and I will see you within the week." Katashi gave a short bow, and turned to leave. As soon as his back was turned, Hikari made a leap that planted her feet against Katashi's back and threw him to the ground, preparing to crush his throat after the impact. What she did not expect, was Katashi to retaliate so quickly. Katashi braced himself against his forearms to distribute the combined weight of two bodies, then immediately grabbed Hikari's arms that had snaked around his neck. He managed to get into a short squat, and twisting his spine he threw Hikari over his shoulders. Hikari landed against the wall but quickly regained her stance.

As soon as Hikari moved Toboe focused on Yuuma, taking a wide stance to prepare to attack Yuuma or defend himself should Yuuma join in the brawl. Once Katashi threw Hikari, however, Toboe glanced over his shoulder, and Yuuma took the opportunity to rush in and grab Toboe, placing a short blade against Toboe's throat. Hikari froze once she saw Toboe, and Katashi smiled and straightened, casually brushing the wrinkles out of his suit. His back was to Yuuma and Toboe, and he continued to address Hikari as if nothing had happened.

"You see now, that we are entirely serious about your cooperation, and what should happen if you do not. Your friend is about to suffer much more than I'm sure you're willing to allow, so I suggest you begin talking now."

Hikari glanced over at Toboe, who stood strongly despite the tiny trail of blood that had begun to trickle down his neck from a pinprick wound the tip of the blade left in his neck.

"Your choice, my dear?" Katashi asked. "Your time to decide is not unlimited. In fact, it's just about expired."


End file.
